1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to systems and methods for communicating between machines using a universal interface. More particularly, the present invention relates to systems and methods for receiving information regarding changes in downstream architecture and repackaging and relaying such information upstream using a CORBA interface.
2. Background of the Invention
In the increasingly sophisticated field of electronic communication, particularly between electronic systems or machines, the TL-1 line protocol has remained a common industry standard. TL-1 lines are used as a communication medium between different electronic systems or machines, particularly in Internet-related and telecommunications-related systems. However, TL-1 commands are typically very specific and limited to the type of systems or machines that utilize such communication lines. For example, each distinct system component may require its own unique TL-1 commands or inputs that take into account the specifics of the particular component.
Such a need for detailed characteristics generally makes use of TL-1 commands complicated and time-consuming. Further, using TL-1 commands from different system components make it difficult for the components to communicate with one another, even though all use a general TL-1 command protocol. Finally, much detail is required to determine the specific programming characteristics of each hardware component that is being connected with a given TL-1 line. Thus, although ubiquitously used, TL-1 lines have a number of limiting characteristics.
One of the most limiting characteristics of a TL-1 line is that it does not allow for efficient communication between interconnected hardware. For example, if a change is made in a downstream component of an electronic system, it would be very difficult for an upstream component to receive “real-time” information about that specific downstream change. Typically, when a downstream change is currently made to, for example, a component of a system, such change is communicated to an upstream programmer by the person who has made such a change in the downstream component. Such a requirement for the person who creates changes to communicate them “manually” to upstream programmers is inefficient and prone to errors, such as when the person forgets to relay such information to upstream programmers.
As a further non-limiting example, if an electronic switch or card is changed in a downstream component of an electronic network, TL-1 lines connecting the series of network components to an upstream programmer would not efficiently allow the programmer to be cognizant of the change. Such a programmer may receive some indication that a change was made in that specific downstream component if the programmer sends a specific command related to that changed component and the component responds, because of the change, in a way that the programmer was not expecting. This conventional “reactive” method of determining changes downstream is inefficient and prone to errors, particularly when the upstream programmer is not aware of the downstream changes.